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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29034534">everything stays (right where we left it)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticGoose/pseuds/ChaoticGoose'>ChaoticGoose</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Childhood Friends AU, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)-centric, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 as Family (Naruto), Fix-It, Found Family, Gen, He Thinks He's Cool, I love these kids, Kakashi is a disaster, Naruto deserves a good childhood, Pre-Canon, Sakura was not written by a sexist, Sasuke is hella dramatic, Uchiha Fugaku's A+ Parenting, all of team 7 is going to show up eventually, and by god imma give it to him, and i defenestrate it, but he really isn't, he gets bullied by children and a dog, i saw what canon did to my children, platonic relationships are poggers, they're babies in this, this is strictly a NO COMP HET ZONE</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:41:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,417</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29034534</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticGoose/pseuds/ChaoticGoose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto runs into Sakura one day and they become fast friends. Sasuke barges into their life one day and quickly makes a place for himself among them. Kakashi just kind of falls into their orbit, but he’s not complaining. Much. After all, family is what you make of it, and they’re gonna make the most of theirs.</p><p>Or, a fic where Team Seven meets early and becomes family. Also they're happy.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Haruno Sakura &amp; Hatake Kakashi &amp; Uchiha Sasuke &amp; Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura &amp; Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura &amp; Uchiha Sasuke &amp; Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura &amp; Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi &amp; Pakkun, Uchiha Sasuke &amp; Uzumaki Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>145</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I have too many feeling for these kids. They deserve so much better than what canon gave them, and I will fix it myself. I just want them to be happy. I will give them the childhood they deserve.</p><p>Beta'd by TheOllie and by my friend Farah, who doesn't have an AO3.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a regular day in Konoha; the sun was shining, birds were chirping, and seven-year-old Naruto was running away from a pair of very angry, bright orange chunin. Naruto’s newest creation, brightly colored paint bombs, were a wonderful prank tool, especially when they exploded all over unsuspecting people. Their outraged shrieks were like music to Naruto’s ears.</p><p>But back to the chase. Naruto ducks and weaves through the streets, dodging the chunin’s attempts to grab him.</p><p>“Get back here, dammit!” one of them shouts.</p><p>“Never!!” Naruto giggles.</p><p>He swerves around a mother and her child and ducks into a small alley. It’s dingy and kinda stinky, but it houses one of his few hiding spots that the ninja he pranks haven’t found yet. Naruto’s already focused on who he’s going to dump paint on next, so he misses the girl hiding there until he’s almost stepped on her.</p><p>She squeaks, then curls up tighter into a ball, tears glistening in her eyes. Naruto freaks out. A girl. She has bright pink hair and a red dress and green eyes and she’s in HIS hiding place and she’s crying a lot! This is bad… He’s gotta cheer her up somehow, but how do you cheer up a girl? She looks so sad, but Naruto doesn’t know enough about girls to know why she could be crying. What if he stepped on her or someone insulted her or what if it’s fleas?!? Kiba says that fleas are why girls are weird.</p><p>“Are you crying because of fleas?” he asks.</p><p>She looks up at him. “Wh-what?”</p><p>“Do fleas make you cry? Kiba said that his sister told him that girls have fleas and I was hoping that you didn’t have them because I don't know how to cure fleas but also I don't want to catch them too... Or did I do something because if I stepped on your hand or something then I’m sorry for making you cry.”</p><p>She snorts at that, her tears stopping. “I’m not crying because of you and also I don’t have fleas. Kiba’s just stupid, and I think he lied to you because Mama said that dogs have fleas, not people, unless you have a dog,” she states.</p><p>“Huh…” he mutters, but thinking about that comes later. Right now he has to cheer her up and also maybe be her friend.</p><p>“My name is Uzumaki Naruto!” he says. “What’s yours?”</p><p>“I’m Haruno Sakura,” she says quietly.</p><p>“Do you go to the academy, Sakura-chan? And also can we be friends?” he asks. She looks like she could use a friend, and guess what? He also needs a friend. It’s perfect.</p><p>Sakura-chan nods before standing up and brushing her dress off. “I have to go. My mama’s probably worried about me. Can we meet up after school tomorrow? We can go to the park then.”</p><p>“Sure! I’ll see you then Sakura-chan!”</p><p>She waves at him before jogging out of the alley. Naruto waves back, then he goes home. Hopefully the chunin have stopped chasing him. They need to learn to loosen up anyways.</p><p>That night, when he’s in bed, Naruto can’t help but smile to himself. He just made a friend and she agreed to play with him tomorrow! He can’t wait. He goes to bed thinking of all the new pranks he can pull off with an extra set of eyes and hands. As long as she’s okay with pulling pranks, of course!</p><p>---</p><p>Sakura woke up excited for the first time in a while. She has a friend! Sure, they've only had one short conversation, but he didn’t insult her or try to pull her hair, which is more than she can say about most other kids.</p><p>When she gets downstairs, Mama’s in the kitchen, making breakfast. Sakura climbs up to the table, and Mama sets down a plate in front of her.</p><p>“Are you looking forward to something today, Saku-chan? You’re very smiley this morning.”</p><p>“Yeah! I think I made a friend!” Sakura chirps.</p><p>“Well that’s wonderful!” Mama says, “Eat up so you have plenty of energy to play.” She piles another egg onto Sakura’s plate, and Sakura smiles up at her.</p><p>“I will. Love you, Mama.”</p><p>“Love you too, Saku. Now you should get going or you’re gonna be late.”</p><p>Sakura shovels her food into her mouth and grabs her bag before rushing out the door. “Bye, Mama!” she calls as she leaves. She hears her mom call out a goodbye before she runs out into the street and towards the Ninja Academy.</p><p>Sakura should have known her wonderful morning wouldn’t last. Not even a minute after she gets to class, Ami and her minions are in front of her, ugly sneers on their faces.</p><p>“Look, the scaredy-baby actually came back. I thought she was too scared to show her face after she ran away last time,” Ami addresses her friends, “I guess we need to welcome the stupid forehead back at lunch. See you then, Saku~ra-chan!” Her smile takes on a menacing edge when she says that. Sakura shivers in her seat.</p><p>Fortunately, the teacher comes in a minute later and settles the class. Sakura resolves to make herself as scarce as possible come lunchtime so she won’t become the target of Ami’s mean-spirited teasing and hair-pulling.</p><p>Class starts, the teacher begins their lecture on the founding of Konohagakure no Sato, and Sakura settles in to take notes.</p><p>---</p><p>When lunchtime begins, Sakura escapes the classroom as quickly as she can. She doesn’t want Ami to continue taunting her like she was earlier. Once she gets out into the courtyard, she makes for the trees near the edge of the space. If she positions herself well enough, she won’t be visible from the building. She eventually picks a particularly large oak and stis at the base of the tree with the trunk between her and the other students eating and playing in the grass.</p><p>She’s barely taken a bite of her lunch when another person barges in on her hiding place. She barely has time to think that’s a lot of orange before the person is right in her face. It takes her a few seconds to recover and recognise Naruto-kun.</p><p>He speaks first. “Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?”</p><p>“I’m hiding, so sit down before they see you,” she hisses at him and pats the ground next to her.</p><p>“Oh… Sorry...” He sounds a lot more nervous than before for some reason, but he takes a seat next to Sakura anyways. “So, why are you hiding, Sakura-chan? You’re nice, so I thought you’d be eating with your friends…”</p><p> She goes back to her lunch, but Naruto-kun doesn’t pull out any food of his own. Strange.</p><p>“I was hiding from Ami because she’s mean and I don’t really have any friends, but more importantly, Naruto-kun, do you have lunch?”</p><p>He looks at her like she just grew another head or something.</p><p>“I’m not trying to be mean, it’s just that skipping lunch isn’t good for you and if you don’t have lunch maybe I can share some of mine? I know that my class usually practices our katas after lunch and doing that when I’m hungry is hard.” She can feel herself blushing. Making friends is hard.</p><p>“Uhh… I don’t want to take your lunch, Sakura-chan. You need to eat too,” he says earnestly.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I have a lot here,” she reassures him before offering him some of her chicken.</p><p>He takes it and thanks her, but the atmosphere is still a little awkward. Sakura briefly wonders if something’s still wrong with him, and then decides it’ll just be best to ask him directly.</p><p>“Is something wrong, Naruto-kun?”</p><p>“No!” he shouts quickly, before continuing, “I was just wondering if you remembered what you said yesterday. Uhh… That we could, you know, be friends or something and like, play together, y’know?” He scratches his cheek awkwardly.</p><p>“Of course!” Sakura says. “I wanna have a friend too.”</p><p>Naruto-kun’s smile is brighter than the sun. Sakura shoves more food into his mouth so she doesn’t go blind from looking at it too long.</p><p>---</p><p>After school ends for the day, Naruto makes a beeline for the gate to wait for Sakura-chan. He’d have waited in front of her classroom, but he doesn’t know which class she’s in. He’ll have to ask her soon.</p><p>Pretty soon, he sees a head of pink hair peek out among the crowd of students, heading towards him. It’s Sakura-chan!</p><p>“Hi Sakura-chan!” he shouts.</p><p>She looks up and hurries towards him. When she gets close enough, he notices that her eyes are red and her cheeks are slightly damp and she’s sniffling. She’s been crying recently, even though she was fine at lunch. Naruto wonders what happened.</p><p>She interrupts his train of thought with a greeting. “Hey, Naruto-kun… Is there anywhere you want to go and play? I don’t have to be home until five or six.” She sniffles again and tries to smile at him, but it’s strained.</p><p>“I’ll take you to my super secret hiding place in the park!” It’s a great place to hide if you need to cry, he doesn’t say. He’s also cried there himself several times.</p><p>He grabs her hand and leads her to the park. Sakura-chan is still sniffling the entire way there. He leads her a little bit into the woods next to the park, where a rock leans against one of the big trees and makes a small cave</p><p>“See? Isn’t it great?” he asks.</p><p>“Yeah. Thanks, Naruto-kun,” she says quietly.</p><p>They both sit down under the rock.</p><p>“So why were you crying Sakura-chan?”</p><p>“It’s nothing…” She looks down at her feet.</p><p>“Really?” He gives her the most unamused stare he can. </p><p>She squirms a little under his gaze. After a minute she opens her mouth and speaks.</p><p>“There’s this girl in my class; her name is Ami and she bullies me. She likes to call me mean names and pull my hair and take my lunch, which was why I was hiding earlier. She also laughs at me because I’m not very good at doing katas or running, even though I’m one of the only people in the class without ninja for parents. I tried to explain that to her today after class, but she just laughed at me and called my parents useless. I don’t like when people say my mama and papa are useless because they work so hard and I love them. Then Ami tried to pull my hair again so I ran away and then you called out to me and now I’m here.” Her words come tumbling out of her mouth.</p><p>“If she teases you for being bad, then maybe we could train together! I also don’t have parents to help me learn ninja stuff, so if we both combine what we learn from class, we’ll be the bestest ninja and you can beat up that meanie once you begin sparring!”</p><p>“That sounds great, Naruto-kun!” Sakura says. A lot of her gloom from earlier is gone now. She shakes hands with Naruto-kun. They are going to be the BEST friends!</p><p>---</p><p>The next week passes. Sakura and Naruto-kun eat lunch together every day. He either only brings cup ramen or he doesn’t have lunch. Sakura doesn’t know what that means, but it can’t be healthy, so she shares her lunch with him. The face he makes at the vegetables is funny, but he still eats them. </p><p>After school, they go to the secret hideout in the park and practice together. It turns out that Naruto-kun and Sakura are in different classes in the same year, so they’re learning similar things. It means they can help each other with what they missed in class. Sometimes Naruto-kun shows her what he uses for pranks. Sakura wishes she could have been there to see people’s faces.</p><p>Sakura likes playing with Naruto-kun a lot. He’s funny and nice and it turns out that he was the one who filled mean old Takizawa’s shop with glitter. Sakura tells him that the glitter is still there and they laugh.</p><p>One day while they’re practicing, Sakura asks a question.</p><p>“I know you don’t get help with ninja stuff at home, so that means your parents aren’t ninja. If your parents aren’t ninja, what do they do? My mama’s a tailor and she makes a lot of pretty clothes. My papa works at a bookstore, so he’s super smart.”</p><p>“I don’t have any parents…” Naruto admits glumly.</p><p>“What? That’s not good! I have two parents so maybe I can share mine with you and you can come over a lot. Come on, you should have dinner with us. Papa’s a good cook and I don't think he’ll mind. Eat dinner with me, pretty pleeeease?” She clasps her hands in front of her face.</p><p>“Okay. That sounds nice.” Naruto says.</p><p>Sakura-chan cheers. “Let’s go to my house now! Come on! I’ll show you my room and we can plan how we’re gonna prank my parents!”</p><p>Naruto smiles at Sakura-chan and follows her out of the park.</p><p>---</p><p>Mebuki was worried for Sakura. Despite the fact that she’s been enrolled in Konohagakure’s Ninja Academy for over a year at this point, she hasn’t made a single friend. Instead, she’s been coming home crying and covered in more bruises than what would happen in a spar. So when Sakura was excited about making a friend, Mebuki was extremely happy for her.</p><p>She didn’t expect Sakura to bring her friend home later the next week and beg Mebuki to adopt him. She even pulled out the puppy eyes that Mebuki swears she inherited from Kizashi. It’s not fair how easily they exploit her only weakness.</p><p>Mebuki sends the kids up to Sakura’s room and begins cooking dinner. While she’s cooking, her mind drifts to Sakura’s new friend. Uzumaki sounds familiar somehow, but she can’t quite place where she’s heard it before. Strange… Well, at least they’re getting along, she thinks, and returns cooking as she hears loud laughter coming from Sakura’s room.</p><p>Kizashi gets home about an hour after Sakura and Naruto had arrived, and Sakura sprints out of her room to give him a massive hug; Naruto-kun follows her, but hangs back in the doorway.</p><p>“Papa!” She shouts, “You’re home! Come here, come here!” She starts tugging him over to Naruto-kun. “This is Naruto-kun and he’s my friend and he also doesn’t have parents, so we should adopt him so he can have a family!”</p><p>“Adoption is an important decision, Saku-tan, so why don’t we talk about it later? Your mother’s cooking smells absolutely wonderful, and I really want to eat now.” Kizashi pokes Sakura’s forehead and she giggles.</p><p>“Okay Papa,” she says, before wandering back over to Naruto. She pulls him towards the table and pats the seat right next to hers. “You should sit here. Then we’ll be next to each other! We can finish the you-know-what later.” She grins mischievously.</p><p>Naruto-kun matches her grin with one of his own. “Yeah! It’s gonna be awesome!”</p><p>Mebuki smiles to herself. “Are you two going to let me in on your little secret?”</p><p>“Nope!” they chorus before descending into giggles.</p><p>“Well, dinner’s ready, so why don’t we start eating?”</p><p>Dinner is usually a loud and happy affair, even more so with Naruto-kun and Sakura feeding off of each other’s energy. Mebuki has to calm them down several times so they don’t accidentally drop something fragile. Some of the information Naruto-kun shared about his situation is more than mildly alarming, but the dinner table isn’t the right place to dive into that. Right after dinner, Naruto-kun and Sakura retreat into Sakura’s room, presumably to set up the you-know-what they mentioned earlier.</p><p>Kizashi looks up from the dishes and beckons her to him.</p><p>“I’m not gonna help you do the dishes, honey,” she says, teasingly.</p><p>He doesn’t smile. Instead, he remains serious. “I think one of us should walk Naruto home tonight. What he said about his situation worries me, and I’d like to ascertain it for myself.”</p><p>“Honestly, that sounds like a good idea. There can’t be anyone keeping a close eye on him if he could drop by so suddenly. Now finish the dishes so we can see what those two’ve been planning all afternoon.”</p><p>---</p><p>“You have it prepared, right?” Naruto-kun whispers.</p><p>Sakura grins at him. “Yeah. Mama and Papa were talking to each other, so I got it easily.”</p><p>“Let’s balance the pillow here, carefully. Remember to make your parents open the door or else you’ll get hit instead,” Naruto-kun whispers.</p><p>“Of course,” Sakura huffs petulantly. They’ve gone over the plan five times already. It’s gonna be awesome.</p><p>“Let’s do this then!” Naruto-kun shouts. </p><p>Sakura stifles a giggle behind her hand and heads out into the kitchen where her parents just finished washing the dishes.</p><p>“Mama, Papa, come here,” she chirps sweetly.</p><p>Her parents exchange a fond look with each other and get up to follow her. Stage one complete. She leads her parents up the stairs to her room, but hits a snag. How in the world is she going to trick them into opening the door? Wait, she has an idea. She reaches for the doorknob and flings the door open before dropping to the ground. A pillow flies over her head and smacks Papa right in the face. </p><p>Then Naruto-kun comes running out with a spray bottle of water and sprays it at her parents while yelling, “Hahahahaha! You have been beaten by the bestest ninja in the WORLD!”</p><p>Mama, who had fortunately been standing behind Papa, hides a smile behind her palm, but Sakura knows she thought the trick was funny. Naruto-kun falls to the floor giggling and Sakura starts laughing too. </p><p>Papa looks vaguely amused, but he claps his hands together and puts an end to their fun. “Well,” he says, “it’s getting late, so I think we need to get Naruto-kun back home now. Sakura-chan, why don’t we walk him home together?”</p><p>“Awww… Can’t we have a sleepover? Pleeeease?” Sakura begs. Naruto also turns his big, blue eyes up towards her Papa.</p><p>“No, sweetie. You both have school tomorrow, and I know you won’t get any sleep if Naruto-kun stays. So why don’t we all get our shoes on?” He leans down conspiratorially before continuing, “We can get dessert on the way.”</p><p>“I want anmitsu,” Sakura says seriously, “from the good place with the bunnies on the bowls! What do you want, Naruto-kun?” she adds as an afterthought. Naruto-kun’s the guest, so he should have a say in it too.</p><p>He looks nervous for some reason, so Sakura smiles at him encouragingly. He takes that as approval and says, “can I have anmitsu too?” </p><p>Papa smiles kindly at him. “Of course, Naruto-kun. Now why don’t you tell us where you live, so we can pick an anmitsu-ya on the way home?”</p><p>Naruto-kun nods and gives Papa his address. Papa frowns for some reason, but the expression is gone quickly. Sakura wonders why he was frowning before his next statement snaps her out of her thoughts entirely.</p><p>“Why don’t we try that new place that opened up near there? I heard it isn’t bad,” he says.</p><p>“Anmitsu!” Naruto-kun and Sakura cheer. “I hope it’s good. You know, I’ve only had anmitsu once, but it was very good and I think I liked it. Hey, Sakura-chan, did you know…” Naruto-kun continues chatting with her all the way to the anmitsu-ya, while Mama and Papa trail behind. They’re probably talking about boring grown-up stuff, like taxes or jobs. Sakura says that to Naruto-kun and he laughs.</p><p>The anmitsu is tasty, and Mama has to stop Naruto-kun from flicking it at others several times. He gets a glob into Papa’s hair, and Papa only notices when it flops into his glasses. Shortly afterwards, Mama starts herding them out of the shop and asks Naruto-kun to lead them to his home. He complies happily and continues chatting with Sakura the whole way back.</p><p>---</p><p>When they reach Naruto-kun’s apartment complex, Mebuki does a double-take. The apartment complex is run-down and cheap. There are water stains running down the sides and some of the widows are cracked. It looks like it’s thirty seconds from falling down. </p><p>Naruto-kun bounds up a rickety set of stairs happily and ends up in front of a marginally cleaner door.</p><p>“This one’s my house!” he chirps happily, “Thank you for walking me home, Sakura-chan and Sakura-chan’s mom and Sakura-chan’s dad!”</p><p>“Well, Naruto-kun,” Mebuki starts, “I’ve changed my mind. How would you and Saku like to have a sleepover tonight?”</p><p>Both Naruto-kun and Sakura stare at her. Naruto-kun is nodding so quickly that Mebuki thinks his head is going to fall off.</p><p>“Then why don’t you and Saku go gather a couple changes of clothes? Papa and I will wait here for you two.”</p><p>The two of them rush inside chattering happily about what they’re going to do later while Mebuki turns to Kizashi.</p><p>“This is an unacceptable place for a child to live alone,” he says seriously.</p><p>“I was thinking the same thing, but what can we do? It’s not like we have any say over his living situation. The most I can think of is to let him sleep over often,” she says.</p><p>“So we do that. Since he lives in a place like this, it’s clear that the system doesn’t care enough to supervise him. There’s nothing stopping him from staying with us every night. We can even set up the guest room for when he and Saku end up being tired of sleeping in the same room.”</p><p>“You’re saying we should adopt him.” Mebuki knows Kizashi well enough at this point that it’s not a question.</p><p>“Essentially. We have the space and the money, and I know we’ve been talking about giving Sakura a sibling. This is just like that, except the sibling comes fully grown,” he states, a twinkle of mirth in his eyes.</p><p>She can’t think of any arguments against it. Mebuki snorts. “And I won’t have to go through labor again. I see your point. Besides, it would be cruel to leave him in this place. I can’t imagine how drafty it gets in the winter…”</p><p>“So I guess we have a son now,” Kizashi says. “How are we gonna break this to the kids?”</p><p>“Let’s give it a little while and then put in a request. We can ask Naruto-kun if he wants to be adopted and do it then.”</p><p>A large crash resounds from inside the apartment.</p><p>“How about we gather our kids and go home before they hurt themselves,” Kizashi says.</p><p>Mebuki laughs and follows him into the house. She can tell that her life has just changed for the better. And the more chaotic.</p><p>---</p><p>Naruto and Sakura-chan have their ears pressed up to the door.</p><p>“Did you hear? I think we’re gonna be siblings,” Sakura-chan whispers.</p><p>“Yeah! I’m so excited.” Naruto jumps up and waves his arms. His energetic waving knocks a stack of books off the table and they fall to the floor with a loud crash. Naruto and Sakura-chan look at each other before running into the bedroom in unison. They have to act like they were packing instead of listening in!</p><p>Naruto hears the door open and Sakura-chan’s mom sticks her head into the bedroom. </p><p>“Make sure you pack your toothbrush and hairbrush as well. We don’t want you to forget anything.”</p><p>“Okay!” Naruto says. </p><p>He should pack for a couple of days, because if what Sakura-chan’s parents were saying is true, he’ll be over there a lot. He throws several changes of clothes and more underwear into his backpack as well as a good amount of emergency ramen. He grabs another bag and fills it with emergency ramen too. You never know when you might need more ramen, after all. Sakura-chan comes in and shoves his toothbrush and several books into his bag.</p><p>“Don’t pack only ramen, silly. Mama and Papa have food at home,” she says. Naruto thinks she’s being silly. There’s no such thing as too much ramen.</p><p>He finishes packing quickly, and they’re out the door. Naruto locks it before following happily.</p><p>---</p><p>Later that night, after Sakura-chan’s gone to sleep in the bed next to him, Naruto smiles to himself. He has a best friend, and maybe a sister and a mom and a dad. He’s happy and warm and he has a partner in crime. He can’t wait to show Sakura-chan some of his better pranks. They’re gonna be legendary, believe it!</p><p>--- An indeterminate time in the future ---</p><p>“Uhhh… Naruto,” Sakura began timidly, “now what?”</p><p>“Now we run!” Naruto shouted, grabbing Sakura’s arm.</p><p>“Naruto! They seem angry!”</p><p>“Yeah! Isn’t it hilarious?”</p><p>“It would be a lot funnier if we weren’t being chased! We need an escape plan next time! An escape plan!”</p><p>“Aww, Sakura! Where’s the fun in that?”</p><p>“It’s so we don’t get in trouble next time, stupid!”</p><p>“There’s gonna be a next time? Awesome!”</p><p>“Not without a better plan!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Updates for this fic are prolly gonna be sporadic, because I'm a slow writer and I'm extremely busy with class. Why did I think taking calc, chem and physics at the same time would be a good idea? ;^; I'm just Jared, 19, and I'm sick of these GODDAMN TEXTBOOKS.</p><p>Thanks for reading &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I ended up writing this a lot faster than I anticipated, so here's chapter two!</p><p>I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sakura wants to scream. She’s been practicing kunai-throwing for the past hour, and she hasn’t gotten anywhere near the center of the target. It’s so unfair! All the kids with ninja parents seemed to pick it up immediately, probably because their parents can teach them. Sakura pulls her kunai out of the dirt to try again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking to her right, she sees that Naruto is having just as much trouble as her. She sighs. How are they gonna pass the test next week if they can’t even throw properly?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She moves back behind a line scrawled in the dirt to try again. She lifts her arm and throws another kunai. It buries itself in the ground a centimeter in front of the tree. Sakura yells in frustration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just don’t get it! How are you supposed to get the kunai to fly so straight?” she growls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She returns to throwing kunai at the tree. Two more fall short and another hits the tree but doesn’t stick. Her frustration keeps building. At this rate, she’s gonna need to punch something. Probably the stupid tree. Another miss and Sakura groans. At this rate, the tree is gonna be a better ninja than she is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re doing it wrong,” someone says behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sakura shrieks and spins around. “I’m what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re. Doing. It. Wrong.” The other person enunciates slowly, like he’s talking to an idiot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well why don’t you show me how to do it right, then?” she huffs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy scoffs and walks over to Naruto instead. If his black hair, dark eyes, and scowl didn’t mark him as an Uchiha, then the Uchiwa on his shirt certainly did. Of course, a high-and-mighty clan kid. He probably has all sorts of people who can tutor him in the fine art of being a ninja. How rude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Listen to someone when they’re talking to you!” she yells at him, a slight whine leaking into her voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then watch. Your form was better than this idiot’s, so I’m going to fix his first,” the Uchiha boy says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto splutters at that. “Hey! I was hitting the target more than Sakura!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You threw twice as many as me,” she reminds him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto pouts playfully. “At least mine stayed in the tree.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sakura gapes at him. “You don’t have to point it out! Anyways, he said my form is better,” she teases. Naruto swats her lightly and she explodes into giggles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you weren’t hitting the tree! I think that means I’m the better kunai thrower. Form means nothing if you can’t hit a target, right...” Naruto trails off there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sasuke,” the boy says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, Sasuke?” Naruto prompts again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke just hums and grabs Naruto’s kunai.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Watch me and follow what I do,” he begins, and Sakura and Naruto settle down for an impromptu lesson on how to throw kunai.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke’s a surprisingly patient and good teacher once you get past the insults and no-nonsense attitude. Sakura doesn’t know why he’s here, but if he went out of his way to help them, he can’t be that stuck-up. Sakura wonders if he’d be willing to be their friend, though with the way he and Naruto are talking, it won’t be long before he’s a regular fixture at their dinner table as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto catches Sakura’s eye and gives a mischievous wink. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He has a plan,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sakura thinks gleefully. The stick up his butt has no chance against a determined Naruto. Sakura can’t wait.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke enters the park, glaring at any child unobservant enough to try and play with him. The park’s on the opposite side of town as the compound, so he knows his family wonk look for him here. There’s only so many loud arguments he can take before he needs to get away from his father’s piercing gaze and pointed comments.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the screaming children, the atmosphere is pleasant. The absence of his father likely plays a big part in that, and Sasuke enjoys the freedom immensely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanders around the park a little, looking to find a quiet corner where he can sit in peace (and brood about how much he hates his father). So he was shocked and more than a little annoyed when his peace was interrupted by a couple of frustrated shouts coming from the forest nearby. People can be so inconsiderate, interrupting his private sulking time. He’s gotta tell them to be quiet and leave him in peace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he finally finds the people making all the noise, he intends to scold them or make them be quiet in another way (using force). He pokes his head into a clearing and sees two children throwing kunai with the worst form he has ever seen. And he’s seen Kiba. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blonde boy has more than enough enthusiasm, but his kunai do not fly straight. It’s a feat in and of itself that he even manages to hit the target. The pink-haired girl is slightly better, but it’s clear that she hasn’t had enough practice. She also hesitates way too much and her throws don’t have enough power.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He won’t stand for this. If he has to have his piece interrupted by children throwing kunai, then they should at least be throwing them correctly. Anything less is an insult to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He has to fix this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re doing it wrong,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke ends up spending way longer than he intended with Naruto and Sakura. Way longer. So long, in fact that he’s probably missed dinner, and his father will be angry when he gets home. He glowers at the thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the bright side, both Naruto and Sakura have acceptable form, and both of them are capable of hitting stationary targets seven times out of ten. Obviously he’s going to have to keep training then until they’re both capable of hitting the center of a moving target every time. Wanting to spend time with them has nothing to do with how the knot in his chest seems to ease when he’s around them. Obviously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when Naruto turns to him and asks him if he can come to dinner with them, Sasuke agrees. It wasn’t the puppy eyes. It also wasn’t the promise of the best ramen ever. It was only the fact that going to dinner with them would keep him away from his father for longer, nothing more and nothing less. Naruto and Sakura’s cheers when he agreed also don’t warm his heart a little.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them chatter all the way to the ramen stall, but he can tell they’re trying to include him as much as he can, even though he doesn’t understand all their references. The ramen place itself, Ichiraku’s, has a warm and cheerful atmosphere. An absolutely delightful smell wafts out, and Sasuke’s stomach growls just smelling it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sakura looks over at him curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wasn’t me,” he says unconvincingly. He’ll need to expertly deflect the conversation with his next comment. “It was Naruto.” There, nailed it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto squawks at the implication while Sakura giggles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I swear, you can hear Naruto’s stomach from several blocks away. There’s no shame in being hungry, you know,” she says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke flushes and mumbles, “still wasn’t me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmhmm.” Sakura thankfully lets it drop as they enter the shop, where Naruto calls out a cheerful greeting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He orders too much ramen for three people, so he assumes that some others will be joining them but when he asks, Sakura tells him that Naruto just eats that much ramen. It’s honestly extremely shocking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a couple of minutes, the chef sets down five massive bowls of ramen: one for him, one for Sakura, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>three</span>
  </em>
  <span> for Naruto. Sasuke can’t imagine finishing a single bowl of this, let alone three. Naruto immediately begins shovelling it into his face as he looks on, equally awed and disgusted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It takes a moment, but he manages to draw his eyes away from Naruto’s terrifying display to turn to his own bowl. The aroma is heavenly, and he almost gleefully digs into his own bowl. It’s so much tastier than anything his father usually allows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, (or fortunately if you ask Naruto) the warmth of the ramen begins to thaw Sasuke’s cold, cold heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They part ways with Sasuke shortly after leaving the ramen stand, and Naruto manages to wrangle a promise to meet in the park tomorrow from the boy. He’ll make a friend out of him yet, and from what Naruto’s already seen, it looks like he just needs a good friend or two to learn how to socialize.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He and Sakura walk back to their house side by side, Sakura holding their leftovers while he plans more fun escapades for the Make Friends with Sasuke mission. It’s gotta be at least an A-rank, no-- an S-rank mission of the highest importance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sakura sighs and reminds him that they’re probably gonna have to apologize for staying out later than expected. It’ll be okay, though, since they brought some ramen home with them, and Mom and Dad can never stay mad at them for long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Sasuke gets home, all the lights are on in his house and he can see the silhouette of his father looming in the doorway. He immediately debates turning around and staying out later, but that would just make his father angrier, so he takes a deep breath to calm himself and steps inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he expected, his father is waiting by the door with a disappointed expression on his face. Sasuke braces himself for the lecture that is about to come.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re late, child,” he begins angrily, “and you were specifically told to come straight home for training.” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Training, he calls it,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sasuke thinks angrily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His father continues. “I am disappointed in you, Sasuke. I thought you knew better than to disobey a direct order. You will be punished later. For now I want you out of my sight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke leaves quickly, before his father changes his mind and decides to vent his frustration in a more direct way. He enters his room and locks the door as quietly as he can. Unsurprisingly, his father has always hated locked doors. Something, something, lack of control, his grandmother calls it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke pulls out his futon and flops almost as soon as it’s been laid out on the floor. Hopefully his father will forget by the morning. Ugh, what an awful end to what was originally a pretty great day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wakes early the next morning. After he crawls out of bed and puts his futon away, he presses his ear to the door to see if he can hear his father yelling at his mother. When he doesn’t hear anything of the sort, he unlocks his door and heads down into the kitchen for breakfast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mother is already in the kitchen, humming to herself as she cooks. His father is nowhere in sight. Mom confirms it a moment later as she passes him his food.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your father is out with Itachi for the time being. If you’re going to go out at all today, I’d suggest leaving now. He hasn’t forgotten about yesterday yet,” she says. Sasuke hums and returns to eating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A minute or two later, he hears his grandmother's cane tapping against the walls of the house as she navigates into the kitchen. She enters the room shortly after, and mom comes to the doorway to help lead her to the comfy seat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke is a little intimidated by his grandmother, but in a good way. Uchiha Chinatsu is an incredibly imposing woman despite her short stature and age. She has the aura of someone extremely competent and dangerous (which she is) and she has been known to hit idiots with her cane. Her tanned skin is marked with deep wrinkles. Her silver hair is tied up in a tight bun, with a few wisps of hair falling down to frame her unseeing eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her cane is sturdy but ornate, with a bronze dragon carved into the handle. The shaft is made of a dark wood and there’s a plastic tip at the end to protect the cane from damage and that can be replaced when it inevitably wears out. Rumor has it that there’s a sword in the cane too, but only people who have earned Chinatsu-obaasan’s ire have ever seen it. Sasuke hopes he never does.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chinatsu-obaasan beckons him over to her, and Sasuke quickly takes a seat nearby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, I heard your father is angry again,” she says conversationally. “One of these days, someone other than me is going to work up the courage to beat him up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke knows what she’s aiming for. “With all due respect, Chinatsu-obaasan, it would be incredibly irresponsible of me to challenge my father to a duel out of nowhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bah, nonsense. Of everyone I know, you and Miko-tan deserve to beat him up the most--” Mom splutters from the kitchen at that old nickname-- “but I suppose it can wait for now. Be a dear and guide me to the porch, won’t you, Sasu-tan? I’m going to give that bastard a piece of my mind next time he’s in my presence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke shudders at the bloodlust she’s letting out, but nevertheless guides her to her favorite seat on the porch. It’s times like this where Sasuke remembers that she’s just as dangerous as when she was an active-duty shinobi and is one of the few people still able to consistently defeat his father in a spar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke wants to be far from the collateral when father runs into Chinatsu-obaasan, so he excuses himself. He hears obaasan call out a goodbye as she settles into a meditative pose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as he’s out of the sprawling compound, he heads towards the park where he met Naruto and Sakura yesterday. They had agreed to meet up again the night before, and despite acting like idiots, those two weren’t bad company.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surprisingly, both of them were already at the park when he got there, despite the early hour. They seem to be arguing about what they’re gonna play when he arrives.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sakura spots him first, and she waves him over to them enthusiastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Sasuke! Naruto wants to play the floor is lava but I think that’s stupid,” she says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, tag is stupid too!” Naruto shouts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No it’s not! You’re just being mean!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’re being silly!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s not like the two of us can play anything else. Wait-- We have Sasuke too! You know what that means?” Sakura says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“NINJA HIDE AND SEEK!” Naruto shouts excitedly. He turns to Sasuke and says, “It’s only been the two of us for a while, so we haven’t had enough people to play ninja hide and seek properly. But if you’re fine with playing that, we can finally play!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke thinks for a moment. “How do you play ninja hide and seek?” he asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s just like normal hide and seek, except you gotta tag the person to find them,” Sakura cuts in. “Naruto and I have tried to play it just the two of us, but it’s no fun because the game ends too quickly. But with three, there can be tactics and secret alliances and all sorts of sneaky ninja stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke has never really had anyone to play games with. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This could be a good learning experience,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he rationalizes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s not that it sounds like fun. This is just training to blend in.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He nods and says, “Sure. Who’s it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rock-paper-scissors? Loser’s it.” Sakura suggests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, ready?” Naruto says. “Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All three of them move at the same time. Sakura plays scissors, and Naruto and Sasuke both play rock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Darn. Well, I’ll count to 60, and then come looking.” Sakura says. She turns around to face a tree and stats counting. Naruto shoots off, looking for a hiding spot, so Sasuke goes in the opposite direction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The game starts off pretty tame; Sakura gets uncomfortably close to tagging him more than once, but his reflexes are better honed than hers. He mostly sticks to the park, and he hears Naruto’s shout when he gets tagged. Now there’s two against one. He’s gonna have to up his game. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as he thinks that, Sakura explodes out of the bush right next to him. He runs out into the open, and almost straight into Naruto’s outstretched arms. At the last second, he ducks underneath and makes for the playset. If he’s lucky he’ll be able to lose them in the crowd of other children around the slide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, his tactic fails. Sakura is somehow even better at blending into a group of civilian children than he is, even with bright pink hair, and he narrowly avoids getting tagged by her as well. He makes the decision that he’ll last for longer in the woods; after all, he’s from a clan and has had practice evading foes in a forest. Naruto and Sakura are civilians so they’ll surely be at a disadvantage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Therefore, when Naruto bursts out of the trees, he’s shocked. And rightfully so. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How is he navigating the forest so well?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s because I know this area really, really well!” Naruto shouts. He must have said that aloud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto lunges at him, so he throws a stick at Naruto. The stick succeeds in knocking him off course, and Sasuke takes the opportunity to run away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hardly even catches a glimpse of Naruto’s or Sakura’s presence over the next twenty minutes. He’s been doing a very good job of avoiding them. He’s probably just entered an area they aren’t that familiar with.. Just as soon as he thinks he’s safe, he hears a stick snap behind him and then he’s covered in glittery mud. He stands there in shock for a moment before he feels a hand press against his back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tag,” Sakura says from behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It takes a second for him to realize what happened. Naruto must have set a trap in the woods and then met up with Sakura to rout him over here. This means war.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke starts counting, and the other two get the message loud and clear. They scatter. The hunt is on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The game is ruthless, and nobody holds back. By the end of the day, all three of them are scraped up and covered in mud, glitter, and who knows what else. Sasuke hasn’t had this much fun in ages, and Naruto and Sakura seem to agree, if the smirks on their faces are anything to go by. Sasuke sighs. He’s going to have a hard time explaining this to his mom. She’ll probably think it’s funny or cute. He is neither funny nor cute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swears he’s not gonna let them drag him into any more of these troublesome situations.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tells them that, but both of their grins just get wider, and Naruto responds with a smug “sure you won’t.” They part ways shortly after, and Sasuke begins to walk back to the Uchiha compound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is the third time in as many weeks that Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto have ended up running from angry adults who were on the wrong side of glittery pranks. They absolutely deserved it, but Sasuke promised himself he wouldn’t get into these shenanigans anymore. Yet here he is, suckered into yet another inane scheme that inevitably ends in being chased across Konoha.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s infuriating how easily they’re able to make him go along with their schemes. All that has to happen is Naruto turning around and giving him those puppy dog eyes or Sakura getting that mischievous edge to her smile, and he’s willing to go along with whatever they do. It makes no sense!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The worst part is that Mom and Chinatsu-obaasan just laugh at him whenever he tries to talk about it and tell him that he’s made very good friends. Is laughing at his misfortune a grown-up thing or is he missing something? People are hard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them duck into an alley, giggling with adrenaline.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you see the look on his face? It was priceless,” Sakura says between her giggles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. He always gets so mad, even though we barely did anything!” Naruto says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hn,” Sasuke agrees, because he’s too out of breath from laughter to actually form words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all stop by the market on their way to Naruto and Sakura’s house, and Sasuke manages to sneak a couple of tomatoes into the basket for dinner. He deserves that much for keeping these two out of trouble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto stares at the door for a while after Sasuke leaves. His mood seems to have gotten bad as soon as he brought up his father. That’s never a good sign. Naruto knows because talking about parents used to put him in a bad mood before Sakura adopted him and shared her parents with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto wonders if Sasuke’s home life is as bad as he thinks it is. He hopes not; Sasuke seems so down all the time and he’s clearly hesitant to go home after school. Naruto doesn’t know what could be happening, but it’s clearly bad if it makes the bravest kid he knows scared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sakura must have sensed his change in mood because she cuffs him lightly on the head and tells him that they should focus on what they can do instead of worrying about what they can’t. Naruto huffs. She absolutely stole that line from their parents.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s right though, so Naruto goes to planning the epicest prank ever-- something that they can only accomplish with Sasuke’s help, so he feels necessary and included. Ohhhhh, maybe they should prank an Uchiha. That could cheer him up, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, how can he convince Sasuke to let them stay over for a sleepover?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them met up again two days later. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s all this for?” Sasuke asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re having a sleepover,” Sakura says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know that. What’s in the bag?” he questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” Naruto says innocently. (Did he say innocently? He means suspiciously. Very suspiciously.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Sasuke says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re serious,” Sakura protests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure you are,” Sasuke says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stare at each other for a couple of seconds before the combined weight of their stares is too much and Sasuke caves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever. Come on,” he says before turning on his heel and stalking off into the compound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For whatever reason, people seem to stare at Naruto as they walk through the compound. It’s weird. As far as he’s aware, Naruto’s just a civilian, supposedly unimportant to a clan like his, so why is he getting looks?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Also surprisingly, Naruto just shrugs off the stares like water off a duck’s back. He and Sakura have been whispering to each other the whole time, and Sasuke swears he heard the words “prank” and “Sasuke’s” and “dad” in the same sentence. One after the other. In that order. He’ll have to put a stop to that before they get kicked out and he’s forbidden from seeing them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You two are not going to prank my father,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto gasps at him dramatically. “Who, us? Play a prank? We would never.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke looks at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just a little prank? Pleeeeeease?” Naruto begs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We could do something simple and hard to notice, like, uh, move everything on his desk over a centimeter or switch his pens and pencils or flip a pile of papers over,” Sakura cuts in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, what she said! It’ll be funny! You’ll get to get him back for being mean to you!” Naruto says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke sighs. There’s no way to stop them once they get an idea in their heads, and the idea of inconveniencing his father on purpose actually sounds kind of nice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The thing that would irritate Father the most is if you rearranged his books so that they’re just slightly out of order. Adjusting the items on his desk would work too,” he finally says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto and Sakura cheer loudly, attracting the eyes of several nearby people. Sasuke quiets them down and enters his house. Chinatsu-obaasama is lounging in the living room while his mother folds laundry nearby. They seem to be gossiping about the neighbors and the books that Mother has been reading with Obaasan lately. Father disapproves of those books, which is probably why mother makes a point to read them loudly when he’s in the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mother notices them enter first, and cuts off her conversation with Chinatsu-obaasan to welcome him and his friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto and Sakura are surprisingly polite during their introductions, which surprises Sasuke. He never knew Naruto had it in him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sasuke-chan, your father will be home slightly before dinner, so if you and your friends are planning something, I’d suggest you do it soon, before he gets home,” Chinatsu-obaasan says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She must have heard of Naruto’s and Sakura’s reputation since she knows what they’re planning. At least they have permission for this one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course Obaasan,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leads Naruto and Sakura to his room to drop off their stuff, and then they all go to Father’s study. The study mostly consists of a desk in the middle of the room and bookshelves against the walls. There’s a table in front of the desk to hold spillover materials and a corkboard in one corner full of the police force’s current high-priority cases. He instructs Naruto and Sakura to stay away from it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They agree and make a beeline for the bookshelves. Sasuke gets started switching the contents of his father’s pen cups, while Naruto and Sakura busy themselves with messing up the neatly-organized bookshelves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A minute later, Sakura calls him and Naruto over to look at a book.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, guys, you’ll never believe what I found in this old Bingo book,” she says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Naruto leans in enthusiastically. Sasuke leans in casually. He doesn’t want to seem like he’s too interested in his father’s books. They’re boring old man books after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I found an Uzumaki! Her name’s Kushina and she’s S-rank!” Sakura declares and Sasuke drops all pretense of being uninterested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No way! Do you think we might be related?” Naruto says. “I would love to be related to a badass shinobi like her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke looks at her image in the book. “She has your nose,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Awesome!” Naruto says. “Hey, maybe we can find more Uzumaki in the book! Sakura, I could have relatives! Alive relatives!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sakura laughs at his excitement and begins flipping through the book, all thoughts of pranking forgotten. About half an hour into flipping through the book, Sasuke notices something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, that’s the Fourth Hokage,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah. He looks different from the face in the mountain,” Naruto says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That makes sense. He’s a lot younger in this picture,” Sakura points out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something about the image nags at Sasuke. He snatches the book out of Sakura’s hands and holds it up next to Naruto’s face. Sakura looks over to him and gasps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Naruto says, “What’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately at that moment, they hear the front door open. Father is back. All of them turn to each other in unison and scramble to hide the evidence that they were in there. Fortunately, they just barely manage to escape back to Sasuke’s room without running into Father. Mom must have distracted him for a little while to buy them time to escape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all collapse in a heap together in the middle of the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He got back earlier than expected,” Naruto says. “By the way, what did you two find out in there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Naruto, you might not believe this, but IthinkthefourthHokageisyourfather,” she says extremely quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What,” Naruto says flatly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We think the Fourth Hokage is your father,” Sasuke repeats.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I heard you the first time. But what the heck?” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you look at yourself and the Fourth Hokage side by side, the similarities are very striking,” Sasuke says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I got that. But it’s not every day you learn that your father was apparently a Hokage!” Naruto says. He looks shocked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I guess that’s shocking. Now how much do you wanna bet that Uzumaki Kushina is his mother?” Sakura asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No bet,” Sasuke says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto lets out a little laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When his friends tell him that the fourth Hokage is probably his father, Naruto doesn’t want to believe it. After all, if his father had so much power and respect, he should have been able to at the very least find him a guardian in the case of his death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke’s mom calls them for dinner shortly after, and the mood at the table is incredibly tense. None of the Uchiha speak to each other during the meal, and all of Sakura’s half-hearted attempts to make conversation are glared down by Sasuke’s father.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, after what feels like forever, Sasuke’s father excuses himself from the table, and conversation actually begins. Sasuke’s mom asks them how school’s been going, and Naruto gleefully takes the opportunity to talk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When dinner’s almost over, and Sasuke’s helping his mom clear the table, his Grandmother decides to drop a bombshell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I used to know your father, Naruto-kun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of a sudden it’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop in another room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-what do you mean?” Naruto asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Namikaze Minato was a lot like you when he was young, always looking for acknowledgement. Mikoto-chan also says you look very similar.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke’s mom opened her mouth to speak, “Mother, we’re not suppose--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nonsense. The Sandaime’s a decrepit old fool, and that gag order makes no damn sense and you know it.” Sasuke’s grandmother huffs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still--” Sasuke’s mom protests</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Besides, I’m sure the kids already found out when they were rifling around in Fugaku’s office. So, Naruto-kun. I’m sure you have questions, so ask away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, what. So the fourth was actually my father? Why didn’t anyone tell me? And why was I abandoned? And am I related to Uzumaki Kushina? How did he die? What happened?” His questions come spilling out. There’s so much he wants to ask and not enough words to ask it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There are some things I can’t and won’t talk about, because I’m already breaking a gag order by discussing your parentage. But to answer your questions, yes, the Fourth Hokage and Kushina are your parents. As far as I’m aware they died shortly after you were born, but I don’t think anyone really knows the exact circumstances anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I do know that they both loved you and wanted nothing but the best for you. It’s a shame your godfather skipped town immediately after you were orphaned. I would love to give him a piece of my mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sakura comes over to him and gives him a tight hug. It’s only then that he notices the wetness around his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll help you give that stupid godfather a piece of your mind, Naruto. Nobody deserves being abandoned by the person who’s supposed to care for you,” she says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto nods and pulls Sasuke in for a group hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stay like that for a minute or two, pressed up against each other comfortably before Sasuke’s mom breaks the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I think that’s enough heavy conversations and revelations for tonight, kids. Why don’t we all play a game for a little and then get you three up to bed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto nods vigorously. He’s been getting really antsy and now he just wants to get up and move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Father disapproves of games,” Sasuke says sullenly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Sasuke’s grandmother scoffs. “Besides, I know a game that we can easily pass off as training.” She leads the three of them to an empty hallway. “The goal is to get past me without me or my cane touching you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Three against one? That’ll be a piece of cake, especially with how well they all work together. Sasuke’s grandmother smiles viciously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was not a piece of cake. They played for around an hour and a half, and not once did any of them get past Chinastu-obaasan’s guard. This was not for lack of trying. At one point, Sakura was maybe centimeters away from reaching the goal, but Obaasan’s cane hit her ankle at the last second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the challenge, or maybe because of it, Sakura had fun. Trying to pick apart Chinatsu-obaasan’s guard and coming up with increasingly ridiculous strategies with Naruto and Sasuke was both entertaining and rewarding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time they were finished, Sakura was ready to collapse, and Naruto and Sasuke seemed to agree. They all go to bed together, and chatter late into the night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That night, when they’re all crowded in his room and Naruto and Sakura are asleep on top of him, Sasuke feels that warm feeling in his chest again. He wonders why it feels so nice before it hits him all at once. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He likes these idiots. He wants to stay with them and have more dumb adventures with them and get them out of trouble and keep them happy. He loves them, reckless excitement, misguided attempts at cheering him up, pranks, and all. If this is what friendship is, Sasuke likes it. He wouldn’t trade these two for the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With these happy revelations, Sasuke drifts to sleep, content that his precious people are safe next to him.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please talk to me about this AU, I want to talk about it.</p><p>You can find me on tumblr @goosewritesfic</p><p>Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I kinda fell off the face of the earth for a while :/ Sorry about that. I got busy IRL, so I didn't really have the time to write. Luckily summer break is coming up soon, so I might be able to write consistently! I make no promises about my uploads though.</p>
<p>In my head they're about 8 1/2 to nine in this chapter. I couldn't find a way to integrate this naturally, but I want to let you know that time is passing and I will probably get to more canon-adjacent content soon.</p>
<p>As a side note, this chapter has been split into two because Kakashi was being uncooperative and it was getting really long. I will try to get the next chapter out ASAP, but I make no promises.</p>
<p>I hope y'all enjoy the chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It’s a pleasant day in Konoha; the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and Sasuke’s sitting between Naruto and Sakura at their favorite ramen stand. The two of them are distracted, talking about the coolest ninja from their assigned reading, so Sasuke takes the opportunity to borrow some food from Sakura’s bowl. She notices, and tries to knock his chopsticks away, but he’s a powerful ninja-in-training. He won’t go down without a fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He manages to get his chopsticks past Sakura’s guard, but instead of stealing some of her ramen, his chopsticks hit the table instead. He looks past Sakura to see Naruto slurping a bowl of ramen that he hadn’t had earlier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Naruto…” Sakura whines, “I was eating that!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No you weren’t,” Naruto protests, mouth stuffed with Sakura’s ramen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I was gonna! I just got distracted! Give it back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nuh-uh. Finder’s keeper’s.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Narutooooo,” she says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine. I’ll just get another bowl for myself.” Naruto passes the bowl back to her then calls the man behind the counter and orders another bowl of ramen. Sasuke would be impressed, but he’s seen Naruto eat much, much more in one sitting. It’s honestly kind of astonishing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But what’s more astonishing is the loud noise coming from around the corner. Sasuke pops his head out the stand and sees something that almost makes him spit out his soup. He pokes Naruto and Sakura, and they turn around to look at him questioningly. Then they see it. Naruto’s jaw drops.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Right outside, on the road, two ninja are having the strangest competition ever. They seem to be running down the road while doing a handstand. One of them is dressed in the most ridiculous outfit Sasuke has ever seen (and he hangs out with Naruto). It’s full-on green spandex with orange leg warmers, and Sasuke swears he has a bowl cut too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other is dressed a lot more normally for a ninja, aside from the mask covering half his face and the way he covers one of his eyes with his forehead protector. He looks like Sasuke’s neighbor when he went through his edgy phase last year. Still, that image of “normality” is marred by the fact that he’s somehow reading a book while running on his hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both of them look completely ridiculous, but they clearly have to be strong if they can run on their hands like that. Sasuke entertains the thought of knocking one of them over just to see their reaction. It would be funny.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the…” Naruto says, ramen miraculously forgotten.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are they doing?” Sakura asks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They look so silly… Hey, hey, what if we pranked them while they’re doing that. I bet it would be really, really funny.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How?” Sasuke asks. He’s totally on board with this, but they’re going up against ninja. They’re gonna need a better plan than ‘let’s just wing it.’ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We should follow them. Even if we don’t do anything today, this is still really funny,” Sakura says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto nods, then inhales the rest of his ramen. “It’s decided then. Operation prank spandex-ninja and book-ninja has begun!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura and Sasuke nod, with matching grins on their faces.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura sighs contentedly. The day’s research was extremely productive. For one thing, the people they followed did several more absurd things in what seems to be an odd attempt to constantly one-up each other. For another, they just do this every so often, which means that they’re gonna have a chance to prank them soon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto flopped on the floor of her room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We need to decide what we’re gonna do. We’re pranking ninja this time, so we have to be suuuuuuuuper careful,” he says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sasuke nods. “I can ask Chinatsu-obaasan about them. She’s probably heard of them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, Naruto, what are we gonna do?” Sakura asks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was thinking paint, glitter, and something with a really strong scent. If we’re lucky, by the end of the prank, we’ll have two very confused and colorful ninja,” Naruto says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ohhhh, what if we use something that’ll attract birds? They make feathers and poop and loud noises,” Sakura snickers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wonder if they’ll even stop their weird competition…” Sasuke says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura snorts, and they all lean in to start planning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi had been having a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day even before the</span>
  <em>
    <span> incidents</span>
  </em>
  <span> started.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>First, he’d run into Gai, and his heart had done that irritating little flip-flop it likes to do in his presence. Kakashi hopes it isn’t a health problem, because that would mean going to the hospital. He’s too cool for hospitalization.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anyway, he agreed to whatever competition Gai had cooked up this time in a naturally cool and suave way. It seems that today they’re going to run across the village and scale the Hokage Monument with only two fingers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It would have been straightforward enough, if not for the odd number of mud puddles and chunks of animal poop that were right in the middle of their path. Kakashi calmly dodges around another puddle and hooks his leg around Gai’s in order to throw him into the mud.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as he’s doing that, something round flies off a nearby roof. Kakashi knocks Gai over into the mud and throws himself down right on top of the thing. It bursts under his weight, and when he gets up, he sees that the front of his vest is covered in bright yellow paint and glitter. Fortunately Gai was saved from the brunt of the attack by Kakashi’s body, not that that was his intention or anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, my friend Kakashi! Your YOUTHFUL energy has saved my gorgeous facade from being RUINED by this most awful prank!! Now, let us continue our challenge immediately! I would hate to see your hip and cool energy go to waste!!” Gai shouts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi mimes brushing himself off cool-ly. “I’m gonna get cleaned up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course my eternal rival!!” Gai shouts exuberantly, “We can continue our YOUTHFUL challenge another day!!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi nods and gives him a lazy salute before jumping away. Why did he throw himself onto that object? He didn’t know what caused him to do it, or why he’s only like that around Gai. That could be a liability in the field and then---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of laughter jerks him out of his spiral. He looks around wildly for the source, but all he sees are a couple of kids running down the street playing tag. He puts them out of his mind and continues home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, he gets distracted on the way home by Genma, who is unfortunately amused by the yellow stain on the front of his jacket. The conversation would be awkward, except Kakashi is too cool to ever be awkward, so he extracts himself as quickly as he can and promptly trips face first into a puddle full of mud.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Genma laughs at him, then meanders off with a lazy wave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi briefly contemplates just lying there for an hour or two, spread eagle in the middle of the street. Then he hears giggling and catches sight of those children again. It’s an odd coincidence that the same kids are nearby at both of his unfortunate accidents, but he's seen stranger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stands back up, takes a few steps, then immediately faceplants into the mud again. The children laugh louder. He can swear he felt a tripwire. Now, Kakashi’s fairly certain that they have something to do with his recent misfortune. He is an incredibly powerful and skilled ninja; he doesn’t just trip into mud puddles like this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looks down at the bottom of his sandal, and what do you know, there’s a sticky substance at the bottom of it that must have been throwing off his balance enough for him to trip on the wire. He glares at the kids and they run away. Whatever. He always enjoys a good chase.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The kids are good at running, but he’s older than them and a trained tracker to boot. It’s simple enough to catch up to them and scare them a little, as revenge.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yo,” he says, dropping down from above the kids.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All three of the kids jump and try their best to act like they weren’t caught with their hands in the metaphorical cookie jar. None of them would have succeeded, even if they weren’t holding glitter, paint, and a tripwire to dump onto an unsuspecting victim. It would be kinda cute if that victim wasn’t him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you kiddos doing?” he asks in his most sugary sweet tone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The yellow kid swallows and the pink one opens her mouth. “Nothing…” she trails off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This bright yellow stain on my vest doesn’t look like nothing,” he says, giving the kids his scariest eye-smile. “Don’t do this to me again, alright~!” he says sweetly, then he shunshins away. That should scare those kids into listening to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi ran into the kids gagin a couple days later, completely by coincidence. He’s about to jump down and spook them when the Uchiha turns around and spots him. He nudges his friends and shushes him at the same time. They’re holding what look like paper airplanes, and giggling so hard they almost drop them. Intrigued, he leans down to where they are.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Watch,” the Uchiha whispers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Down on the street below, a middle-aged man walks out of the bookstore and the kids release their airplanes at once. One of them hits the guy in the back of the head, and he looks around wildly before spotting the planes on the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’re following me!” he shouts, and the kids break out into full on laughter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, he’s gonna get away!” the yellow one says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing, exactly?” Kakashi asks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re pranking him,” the Uchiha says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah! You should join us, it’s really funny!” the yellow one says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pink one nods. “He was mean to my papa, so we decided we’d throw planes at him. They seem to freak him out, so we just keep doing it,” she says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The kids lean in. “Y’know, if we had a super-cool ninja on our side, we could do even more fun pranks,” the yellow one says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pink one nods.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi smiles under his mask. “Your target’s getting away,” he reminds them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All three of them jump and scramble after the man. “Our offer still stands!” the yellow one shouts as they run away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi sighs. Those kids are going to get in serious trouble someday.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ten minutes before class lets out have always been the hardest for Naruto to sit through. He’s especially antsy today because they just learned a new move and he can’t wait to practice with Sakura and Sasuke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The moment Iruka-sensei dismisses the class, he’s out the door calling out goodbye as he leaves.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He meets up with Sasuke and Sakura at the gate and they head over to their secret hideout. On their way there, they swing by a convenience store for snacks. Neither of them let him buy ramen because apparently they still think there’s “no way to boil the water without a source of heat” or that he’ll “spill it all over himself and then get eaten by a bear.” No way. He would never spill ramen. Never.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They’re almost at the park when they run into a little dog. It’s got a ninja headband and a little mini vest and it’s the cutest thing ever.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sakura, Sasuke, look at that dog!” he says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura whips her head over to where he’s pointing, her eyes shining with excitement. Sasuke’s eyes follow his finger more slowly, but he’s also excited, judging by the glint in his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi Doggie-san! Can I pet you?” Sakura asks the dog.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure,” the dog says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura freezes, looking between Naruto and the dog, her mouth opening and closing in shock. Naruto’s fairly certain he’s mirroring her expression.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, are you going to pet me? I’m waiting. I like scratches behind my ears the best,” the dog says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, Sasuke is there to save them from the dog’s judgement. He leans down to scratch the dog behind the ears then asks, “Are you a ninken?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, it seems like one of you has a brain. The name’s Pakkun.” Pakkun looks at Naruto and Sakura. “Now’s the time where you introduce yourselves too,” he says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura manages to pick her jaw up first. “I’m Sakura, this is my brother Naruto, and the one petting you is Sasuke.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hn,” Sasuke says. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They stand there awkwardly for a second before Pakkun gets fed up with the atmosphere. “Well, are you going to pet me? It’s not every day that the great Pakkun allows children to pet him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! I’m not a kid!” Naruto shouts, “I’m eight and a half!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright kiddo,” Pakkun says. “Hey, is that beef jerky in your bag?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Naruto says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pakkun looks at him. Oh. Right. Dogs have really good senses of smell.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I’ll just escort you to your destination and you can give me that jerky as payment.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But we’re almost there,” Sakura protests.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I let you pet me. It’s only fair.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You were just after our beef jerky weren’t you,” Sakura says accusingly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pakkun gives her puppy eyes. Sakura gives him the jerky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wonderful! Well, let’s go,” Pakkun says, “lead the way, kiddo.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto looks at Sakura and Sasuke. Sasuke shrugs and Sakura looks like she’s mourning the jerky, so Naruto turns to head towards the hideout with the ninja dog in tow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they get there, Pakkun hops up onto the rock and sits there, surveying the clearing. He seems to find it acceptable because he sits down on the rock and closes his eyes. Naruto looks at Sasuke. He shrugs at him, so Naruto decides to bring their attention back to what they were initially planning to do before they ran into Pakkun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“About that new move Iruka-sensei showed us today…” Naruto starts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Which one? The throw or the meditation?” Sakura asks, “‘Cause I was having trouble with the throw…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Sasuke says, “You couldn’t even throw Shikamaru.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” Sakura protests.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Both actually…” Naruto says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great! We can take turns practicing on each other and then have a snack and then practice meditation! Maybe we could persuade Pakkun to guide us through a meditation exercise!” Sakura says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds like a plan,” Naruto says. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sasuke grunts his approval, then goes to demonstrate the throw, first for Naruto and then for Sakura. It starts off relatively well: both Naruto and Sakura fail to throw each other to the ground and Sasuke watches. Then Naruto starts getting it right consistently, which frustrates Sakura. Sasuke’s joking suggestions seem to be making her even more frustrated. Before Naruto can stop her, she’s grabbed Sasuke and thrown him over her shoulder, finally using the move successfully. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It quickly becomes all-out war between the two of them, but right before Naruto can launch himself to join their wrestle, he’s pulled back by a hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As is the natural response when grabbed by an unknown person, Naruto screams, and Sakura and Sasuke stop fighting to look at him. Pakkun looks up as well. Naruto slams his elbow into the person’s gut, but it’s caught in a firm grip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The person who caught him speaks, “That’s an awfully rude thing to do to a person who just saved your life.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto looks up into the eye of the jounin they pranked the other day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing here?!?” he shouts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Collecting my dog,” the jounin says calmly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not his dog,” Pakkun states, “Kakashi’s my human.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait? Pakkun’s your ninken?” Sakura asks. “How do you get a ninken? I thought only the Inuzuka had dogs! Or is it a summon like Sasuke’s family has? Can I have one? Also how is Pakkun’s fur so soft? And do you have more dogs? Or---” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura’s stream of questions is interrupted by Pakkun jumping onto her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I like these kids,” Pakkun states.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi just looks at him. “You only like them because the pink one complemented you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! My name’s Sakura!” Sakura says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m Naruto!” Naruto adds helpfully, “And that’s Sasuke. What’s your name?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hatake Kakashi,” Kakashi says, “and we really should be going.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait,” Sasuke finally breaks into the conversation. “Pakkun agreed to escort us in exchange for our beef jerky. He can’t just leave now. We paid him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you see I have better things to be doing,” Kakashi says, giving them a smile with his uncovered eye.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like what?” Sakura accuses. She’s holding Pakkun now and giving him scratches behind the ear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Grownup things,” Kakashi says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think Kakashi is going to do boring lame sad old man things,” Naruto says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’m not.” Kakashi’s eyebrow twitches slightly. Bingo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well then show us a cool ninja move,” Naruto says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Kakashi says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, then Pakkun can show us a cool move. I bet he’s a better ninja than you anyways,” Naruto says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It won’t hurt you to show them something simple, boss,” Pakkun says, “after all, you are a super cool ninja right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi looks between the three of them and Pakkun for a couple seconds then slouches in resignation. “Fine,” he says. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto cheers. They’ve got a real jounin showing them a move. Naruto’s gonna beat stupid Kiba for sure tomorrow!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi doesn’t know why he agreed to the kid’s crazy demand. It’s not because of Pakkun’s teasing and it’s especially not because the kid insulted him. He just has nothing better to do. Which is why he spends a whole Thursday evening showing three precocious academy students how to stick a leaf to random parts of their bodies.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Surprisingly, the kids think it’s a super cool trick and start trying it immediately, to hilarious results. Naruto even manages to burn his leaf with the sheer force of his chakra, which amuses the other two. They try to make him burn progressively larger leaves before Kakashi puts a stop to it and explains the dangers of chakra exhaustion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That stops them quickly, but they cheer up soon after when Sakura manages to stick multiple leaves to her forearms. Then the kids get distracted by putting more and more leaves on Sakura’s arms as she tries to get them to stick.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura soon gets tired of that and starts pushing leaves against the boys’ faces and trying to get them to stick. Surprisingly, all the kids manage to stick at least one leaf to themselves relatively quickly by academy standards.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then they start getting annoying. First, Sasuke UCHIHA dumps a pile of leaves near him and says in the trademark Uchiha monotone, “Prove you’re a real ninja. Stick these to yourself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.” Kakashi says. These kids aren’t getting any more blackmail material.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then how will we know you’re legit?” Naruto asks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I know. He can summon more dogs!” Sakura says. She’s petting Pakkun again. Kakashi hopes Pakkun likes the attention, because he’s in serious trouble for getting Kakashi into this situation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both Naruto and Sasuke like this suggestion, and under the weight of three cute stares and with no support from Pakkun, Kakashi causes and summons the rest of his pack. Both the kids and his pack go wild with excitement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The kids cheer and Pakkun smirks as he jumps onto Kakashi’s shoulder. “I always knew you were a big softie.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Kakashi says. It comes out fonder than he intends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Too soon, the sun begins to set, so Kakashi dismisses the pack and tells the kids that they should be getting home. As he says that, he goes to leave the clearing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura clearly objects because she runs in front of him and holds out her arms. “You can’t just leave us alone at night! What if we're in danger? We’ll get hurt and it’ll be all your fault!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Naruto says, “There could be mugs out there!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t leave us vulnerable children out in the wild to die,” Sasuke deadpans.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All three of them look at him, and Kakashi hopes they haven’t realized how potent of a weapon it is, because he caves almost immediately.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine. I’ll escort you home. Lead the way.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The kids smirk at each other and then sprint out of the clearing as quickly as they can. Kakashi just knows they’re out to make his life more difficult.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they get to Sakura and Naruto’s house, their mother takes one look at him and pulls him towards a spot at the dinner table. The kids finish eating quickly and escape upstairs with a “bye Kakashi” and a “thanks,” but the adults, whose names he finds out are Mebuki and Kizashi, keep putting more food on Kakashi’s plate. Kakashi feels more than a little out of place in a house dripping with such warmth, but the food is good enough that he keeps eating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Kakashi asks why they’re feeding him, Mebuki responds. “We need to thank you for watching those kids today. They can be a troublesome bunch, so it’s relieving to know that they have a ninja keeping an eye on them. Besides, you look like you could stand to eat more.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi leaves soon after, and as he goes, Kizashi hands him several tupperware full of leftovers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just wash them and return them whenever,” he says. “Good night, Kakashi-san. I hope to see you again soon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi leaves quickly, stepping into the crisp night air, but the warmth in his belly remains. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pakkun settles on his shoulder as he’s walking home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’re sweet kids,” he says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmm,” Kakashi replies.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know you’re attached,” Pakkun says, “I think they’ll be good for you. ”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re just saying that because they give good scratches,” Kakashi says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe, but you really need to get out more. There’s more to life than what you’re living,” Pakkun says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think I prefer it when you tease me to when you give me advice,” Kakashi grumbles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You just don’t want to admit I’m right,” Pakkun says smugly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi shakes Pakkun off his shoulder and leaps away.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have some really angsty ideas for future chapters and I was wondering if I could just put it in this work or if I should separate it into a side story to prevent the tones from clashing... Either way, I will mark chapters where heavier stuff happens, so don't worry about that.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments and Kudos are appreciated. Thanks for reading!</p><p>My tumblr is @goosewritesfic, please come say hi! I really want to talk.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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